[Updated Feb 21, 2020]
We don’t need to tell you how big social media is. But if you like stats, like we do, here goes:
In 2019 the UK was home to 45 million active social media users; with a whopping 39 million of those active on mobile.
That equates to 67 percent of the population of the UK, and 58 percent with regard to mobile social media use.
(Source: Statista)
If your business isn’t taking advantage of social media, you’re missing out. It’s a fast, inexpensive and effective way to reach and connect with your customers and prospects. Social media can help grow your business.
So, what are the benefits of social media for a small business?
1. Build your brand
- Increase brand awareness: Social media can increase awareness of your brand, your products and your services. With so many people logging in to social media platforms every day, it’s the perfect place for them to discover your brand. Because they’re not only connecting with brands they already know. Sixty percent of Instagram users say they discover new products on the platform (source: Brandwatch – Instagram Marketing Statistics Jan 2019)
- Connect with your customers: Social media is a great way to connect with your customers and prospects by showing them the story and the people behind your brand. Tap into social proof by showcasing how your existing customers are already using and benefiting from your products or services. Make sure your posts are entertaining and informative to keep your followers interested and engaged.
- Build trust: Establish your brand as a leader in your field. You should aim to be the first resource for your customers to gather key information for topics related to your niche. Thought leadership can really impact trust, especially if your business is B2B.
2. Grow your business
- Increase website traffic: sharing compelling content from your blog and advertising on social media is a key method to drive traffic to your website.
- Generate leads: Social media offers an easy way for potential customers to show their interest in your business. It’s a low commitment for them making it more appealing.
- Search ranking and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) boost: sharing quality, relevant content is highly valuable to your brand in terms of SEO. Tweets are now shown in Google Search results, which can help your brand gain social proof. And it readily invites new prospects to learn more about your business.
- Boost sales: your social platforms should be an essential part of your sales funnels. Remember to align your social marketing and sales goals.
3. Understand and communicate with your audience
- Customer service: Social media gives real-time access to your customers, giving you the opportunity to connect at different touchpoints in their journey. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are important channels to establish contact with your customers. They are often the preferred way to find out more about what you do; to voice a complaint or ask advice about a product. The more you invite conversations the more accessible and trustworthy your brand will appear. When they are done well, these digital relationships can turn your fans into brand advocates.
4. Gain valuable insights
- Discover who your customers are: Social media generates a large amount of data, such as the demographics of the people interacting with your posts. Use this valuable data to refine your communication strategy.
- Key an eye on the competition: check out your competitors’ and peers’ social accounts and business activity to see who’s doing what, how they’re doing it and when they’re doing it.
- Social listening: Use social media to monitor online conversations that are relevant to your brand. And ones which are prudent to join. Don’t forget to keep a check on what’s being said about your own brand too.
5. Amplify conversions with social advertising
- Targeted advertising: Social media offers powerful targeting options so you can reach the right audience and make the most of your budget.
- Retargeting: tracking tools like the Facebook pixel can show ads to your potential customers (the ones who have already shown some interest in your brand, but not yet taken an action) for the exact products they have already browsed on your website or abandoned in the shopping basket.
Now you know the benefits of social media, what next?
The benefits of social media are numerous. Using it can play a key role in amplifying and bringing your brand to life; driving consumer awareness. But there’s no getting away from it; organic social media can be a slow burn. It’s a crowded space and people are increasingly judicious about which brands they engage with. That’s why it’s important to do it well, with a strategy and objectives firmly in place.
Social media is all about relevancy and community. And building an engaged community isn’t going to happen overnight. The key is to be patient and consistent.
Phase 1: Build brand awareness
- Focus on communicating an accurate brand story to as many people as possible
- Consolidate your brand’s profile so that it’s consistent across all channels and the tone of voice is right
- Including paid advertising will help you target the most relevant people
- If your business has a minimal presence on social media, start with Phase 1
Phase 2: Grow an engaged community
- Once social media has done the job of spreading the word the next stage is to focus on building up the engagement
- If your target audience isn’t responding to you or interacting with you in any way, it’s unlikely they will buy from you
- Building engagement is an important second step
Phase 3: Drive traffic & conversions
- This is the goal many businesses want but it’s crucial to lay the foundations listed above first
- This goal can, of course, be achieved faster with a paid advertising strategy in conjunction with the initial brand awareness and engagement steps
How can we help?
If you want your customers’ attention, you’ll need to have your content placed where they are looking, which is most likely on their phone or tablet. But that doesn’t mean you have to be.
Working with us means that your brand will have all the benefits of social media, but you’ll have the time to get on with running your business. Growing your business on social media comes from increasing your visibility, engaging in meaningful communication and providing efficient and friendly customer service.
Contact Us to see how we can help.
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